Month: April 2015

Weekly Marriage Tip: Hear and Be Heard

A few weeks ago, we had a companionship inventory and without really planning to I spilled my guts about something I’ve been fearing in our marriage for a long time, but that I didn’t want to say out loud because I didn’t really think anything productive would come from it. I was afraid this issue would come out all wrong and I wasn’t sure how much of it was just in my head. Anyway, it came out and I spilled it and Rich was so SO great about it. Not defensive, not trying to solve anything, just listening. I think… Read More

I’m Not a Better Wife Than You.  And Other Disclaimers.

By Celeste Occasionally I’ll pop onto Facebook and see my friends post things about how their spouse cleaned their whole house or cooked dinner or watched their kids all week or bought them a pony and I think, “Hm, that’d be nice.”  And it’s easy to get just a teensy dose of spouse envy particularly if I’m in a pouty bout already.   I worry that this blog does that for people.   I worry that people who are having marital problems will read it and think that Rich and I and all these  guest posters are shoving our “happy”… Read More

Always Be Yourself, but Also Always Be Someone Completely Unlike Yourself. Love, Pinterest

When I was single, I got a LOT of bad relationship advice. I also dished out a lot of bad relationship advice. My girl friends and I spent many a late night analyzing our relationships (or lack thereof), advising one another the best we knew how. The only people I ever got advice from was other single people. You know who single people should stop seeking relationship advice from?? Other unhappy single people in bad relationships. You know who they should start seeking relationship advice from? People who have been in a healthy, committed relationship for a long time. (Like… Read More

Weekly Marriage Tip: Put Your Spouse On Your To-Do List

This week’s marriage tip was inspired by my friend Michelle over at the blog Motherhood in the Major Leagues. She posted about this video clip Spouse vs Kids: Finding Balance in Marriage: The speaker here is Matt Townsend, whom I had never heard of, but apparently he is a relationship expert (according to his website), so I guess we should all listen to him. Also, how do I acquire this title? Anyway, I likes what he has to say. Here are his four tips on finding the balance in your marriage: 1. Find the compliment not the critique. 2. Lose… Read More

What is Love?

As I read through some of Rich’s old love letters for this post, there is one I can’t stop thinking about. It was about what love really means. The thought was spurred on by an episode of This American Life called Unconditional Love. (Listen to it- it’s so inspiring.) They have a segment by a mom who had to struggle for years to teach her sociopath son how to love. She concluded, “Creating love is not for the soft and sentimental among us. Love is a tough business.” I think for a lot of my life I have been confused about… Read More